LCD 4 - Rolling out...

September crept into October. I was successful again in commuting for a month of my of life car free. The commuter mileage was near 350. I imagine that if I had been driving I would have traveled twice that much. Traveling without a car has helped me reevaluate the amount and frequency that I need to travel every day. Instead of hastily running one errand at a time, I now wait until I have a number of tasks and complete them with as few trips as possible.

Nothing like a nap in the sun.

I wish that I could tell you that I will be leaving my car in the driveway with a flat tire, and dead battery. I wish that I could tell you that I could sustain a productive and happy lifestyle without my car. Unfortunately, that would be a lie. I have already taken my bike floor pump and with great effort inflated the flat. I have also gotten the jumper cables ready for the next available opportunity. Chances are, I will be behind the wheel today.

The main photo subject of a solo biker.

However, by being a regular bike commuter I have somewhere down the line completely altered my train of thought. If I need to travel within the city limits I immediately consider my bike as my main source of transportation. On occasion I weigh the options on traveling by car versus bike (weather, cargo, distance, time limitations), and if I am not restricted by outside factors, I choose to travel by bike. Why? The bottom line is because I enjoy it.

The last two days of the Low Car Challenge I spent with bikers of a different breed. Roctoberfest, the motorcycle rally that I have been helping promote this year was big and bad at the Midway Expo Center. I was lucky enough to check out cage fighting/dancing, biker games and some great live music. Plus the people watching was fantastic. I camped out a couple days and designed the course for the XCX Cross Country Xtreme race in November. It was a great way to end the month.

Roctoberfest 2007! Bikers, babes, and chicken wings!

Thanks for reading my thoughts and experiences on the 2007 Low Car Diet.

This is the first chapter in a three month adventure. I will be documenting the experience of being an event director for the three large Off Track Events right around the corner. The Mayor's Cup, the MidMo BRR and the XCX. Its about to get really interesting...

Check out the Blog here: http://offtrackevents.blogspot.com/

LCD 3 - The Power of Pedals!

Three weeks on the saddle. The regular daily routine of bike commuting, has once again given me an outsiders view of the American love affair with the automobile. I am often cut off at intersections by impatient drivers. Would waiting an extra three seconds really cause such distress in their lives? Are they driving to the hospital with an extreme emergency or in an urgent rush to save the world? Do they realize that bikes have the same rights as cars on the road? Chances are the answer to all of these questions is "no". Even in a bike friendly community like Columbia, bike commuters are so uncommon that drivers don't know how to react. Cars line the city streets, burning natural resources, polluting the air and causing havok upon the landscape they travel. If only a tiny fraction of able bodied drivers commuted by bicycle even once a week (even if was to the store or a nearby location), the biking community would grow, safety features would improve on roads and driver awareness of bikers rights could be increased. Unfortunately, those who choose to commute regularly by bike are often seen as extreme and their numbers are small. If Americans want to save some money at the pumps, they may want to consider getting on some pedals.

Continuing my Low Car Marketing Challenge for Off Track Events, I recruited my friend Nate Smith for some classic gorilla marketing at the Summerfest street show featuring the band Wilco. I fluffed the feathers of the Chickman costume and along with the monkey we hit the mega event. Wearing front and backside posters for the Mayor's Cup we danced through a crowd of thousands, distributing hundreds of event brochures. Dozen of people gave us high fives, danced with us and took photos. I recommend that everybody goes incognito in costume at some point of their life. Find that alter ego and set it free.

The end of the week brought the first event in the Off Track Events fall series. The Paws in the Park 5k. I was unsure how directing a cross country race would work without the use of a vehicle. I soon realized that as an event director I could have other people pick up the dozen boxes of t-shirt, race packets and heavy 5k course equipment and deliver them to the event location. Honestly, I could not have driven my station wagon if I had wanted to. It rests in my driveway, a dead battery under the hood, and a flat tire in the back. Foresaken and forgotten.

Once all the course equipment was delivered to the race location, I discovered the ease and benefit that a bike with a trailer offered. The distribution of cones, flags, signs, and water jugs across the 3.1 mile course was expedited by the bike trailer. The bicycle was never restricted by the terrain of the park and it's trail system. The 5k run went off without a hitch. It was a rewarding feeling seeing the Paws in the Park 5k and other activities become a success. I can't wait to do it again.

LCD 2 - A week to end all weeks!

I have been looking forward to this week in Columbia all year long. Three huge events occurred in only a one week period which entertained thousands of people. The Roots N Blues N BBQ, the MS150, and the Tour of Missouri. I was lucky enough to experience each of them. Friday night was the opening night of the Roots N Blues N BBQ. A great lineup of artists including Chris Thomas King, North Mississippi, The Blind Boys of Alabama, Sierra Loene's Refugee All Stars and more were set to entertain thousands of people on three stages in downtown Columbia.

A moment from the Roots N Blues N BBQ -
Photo from www.rootsnbluesnbbq.com

I loaded up the bike trailer once again with a fully loaded cooler and biked downtown on the Off Track Events promotional mobile. I strategically parked in a busy area of the festival where masses of people would walk by the bike seeing the promotional posters on the back. Draping the cover of the kid trailer over the cooler, I had a convenient secret full sized cooler in the middle of this huge festival available for all the friends that I saw over the two day weekend.

During the experience I was reminded how great it is to live in a community that showcases the arts and brings such great entertainment to the masses for free. Seeing the downtown streets closed to traffic made me think about how great it would be if Columbia would ever make its main downtown street (9th St. for example) into a pedestrian mall that only walkers and bikers would be allowed to use (think Madison, Iowa City, and Boulder). The University campus has successfully converted a couple of its busy streets into pedestrian only streets, and it is great resource for the many students who commute by foot or bicycle. Would Columbia, its citizens, and businesses be able to benefit from this as well?

Commuting against bike traffic at the MS150

Saturday morning, I got on my bike and commuted to the Midway Expo Center for the MS150. The MS150 is a bike ride that occurs in cities across the United States on the same day raising money for Multiple Sclerosis. My plan was not to ride in the event. I was there to shamelessly advertise the Off Track Event series. My goal was to place brochures for the 3 events on 1,000 cars (yes, I am the one to thank or to blame). Luckily, I had friends who met me there to help out. Within an hour, we were done and I was on my way. I have commuted by bicycle to the Expo Center many times before. Usually, it's a quiet and lonely 45 minute ride on county roads. The commute today was very different. The sense of solitude was gone, as I got to bike against the flow of 2,000 plus riders on the event. It is a great experience to see a solid, steady line of bikers for miles on a road. It's amazing how many smiles and waves are returned from fellow riders!

Team Ska representing at the Tour of Missouri

To top off the amazing week, the Tour of Missouri ended its stage 4 race in downtown Columbia. World class bikers, competing for large prize money, raced 133 miles from Lebanon, MO, to Columbia, MO. The Columbia streets were lined for miles with fans eagerly anticipating the opportunity to even catch a glimpse of these amazing athletes. I worked my way into the crowd near the finish line and felt the extreme excitement as the 100+ racers sprinted the last 50M to the finish line. It lasted only a few seconds. It was amazing. A world class biking event right here in Columbia. It was a dream come to true. Unfortunately, looking around, I noticed that not many people had commutted to the event with their bikes. Traffic must have been a nightmare. Fortunately, my group of friends and I realize the advantage that bikes give us for quickly arriving to large events, getting right in the action (yes the cooler was once again hydrating the masses), and getting to park where we like every time!

Am I seeing double Elvis?

The Columbia finish of Stage 4 of the Tour of Missouri


Arial view of Columbia and the Tour of Missouri
Photo from www.tourofmissouri.com

The rest of the week involved the usual commuting back and forth from home to town. At one point, I needed to mail a large number of promotions for Off Track Events: 225 packages to be exact. On a normal month, I would simply put the packages in the back of the car and drive to the post office. This month I strategically stacked the small packages to all fit into the promotional trailer. Biking the few miles to town felt like I was hauling people on the Shakespeare's pedicab at times. But, once I arrived at the post-office, I felt satisfied with my accomplishment. Off to the post office. Spending extra time bike commuting has helped me appreciate the senses that are often lost when traveling in a vehicle: the change of temperature in the middle of October, the aroma of fried chicken as I pass by the nearby grocery store, spotting lost treasures on the side of the street as I commute from place to place. These quick and personal moments are another reason why bike commutting is a grand adventure to me.

My four wheeled transportation

Low Car Diet (LCD) Week 1 - Promotional Pedestrian Power

It's back again. The Low Car Challenge. Last year, it was a fun but challenging adventure through the month of October with a long commute from St. Charles and steady bike transportation around Columbia. With confidence high and excitement to create new experiences, I eagerly signed on for another round. What surprises will September bring this year?

Gearing up for the Heart of America.

With the experience of last year I know that one of the hardest challenges of not using a car is accommodating to the demands of the busy world. Being certain places at certain times, transporting people and materials, and being able to schedule extra time in the day to get to where you need to be at the appropriate time. I volunteer for Columbia Second Chance and I know that there are animal rescue and foster issues that I will not be able to handle successfully on a bicycle. If an important situation arises, I know that I will have to forfeit my oath to leave my car where it is parked.

Masked men on the course!

One of the hardest challenges for me this month will be the promotion and course setup for Off Track Events a series of social events (sometimes known as "races") that will begin late September and run through the middle of November. With thousands of brochures, posters and promotional material I know that I will need to think outside the box this month. To help in the success of the promotions I borrowed a friends trailer and with it built a three poster long billboard that faces the traffic behind me. A traveling advertisement that every car and pedestrian behind me will see. I once again feel the excitement creating a new daily routine without the comfort and ease of a automobile. Let the games begin.

Matt running a section of the marathon.

The Heart of America Marathon was labor day - and I was ready to return to the course the second year in a row. However, I would not be running in the event. I would be entertaining. With the help of Matt Drier and Alex Grigsby's party tandem bike, runner's were treated to a traveling aid station trailer with a cooler of water, backpack stereo and as many twizzlers as they eat. The expressions on the runner's faces were priceless as they saw two masked men on a tandem bike offering them refreshment's and encouragement. Powergels were distributed, nutty bars were eaten and even an adult magazine was brought out to inspire. What a blast!

Although, I only biked the marathon, I still felt a level of extreme fatigue for a couple days. Luckily, I work from home and was able to hide out and avoid much commuting for a couple days. Rest and recovery for the days ahead. Plenty of commuting miles to come. Thursday night I headed to my part time job as a pedicab driver (I like to tell people that I am a professional cyclist) for Shakespeare's Pizza. I have been working as a pedicab driver for a couple weeks and was a little nervous on how my first night pedicabbing a twilight festival would go. I imagined it would be a stressful night of hauling endless rowdy teenagers around the downtown area with heavy traffic cutting me off at every corner. I was wrong!

"Anybody want a free ride on the pedicab?"

Photo by: Serkan Gurbuz

A couple downtown blocks were closed down and only open for pedestrians. Bands were playing around every corner and people were everywhere. A woman asked if I could give her daughters a ride around the block. I told them to jump in! I biked up to the top of the elevated block than did a roller coaster switchback to the bottom throwing in a couple curly cues along the way. By the time I got to the bottom, there were kids lining up to take the next ride. Everybody was waving as the kids laughed and screamed (maybe from fun maybe from terror). I did rollercoaster rides for another ten minutes before the street became to busy and then returned to my loop around the downtown District. After three plus hours of a full night of pedicabbing, I was exhausted. Sleep never felt so good. Let's see what week 2 brings...

Best job ever.
Photo by: Serkan Gurbuz